Ear, nose and throat care covers hearing, sinus, tonsil and balance problems. At the end of June 2026, 565,003 people in England were waiting for ENT treatment. Just 58% were seen within the 18-week target, and 12,194 had already waited more than a year — the sort of queue private treatment can skip for anything you are not already being treated for.
Where ENT waits are worst
| NHS trust | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid and South Essex | 15,733 | 38% | 2,363 |
| University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire | 9,025 | 40% | 569 |
| George Eliot Hospital | 2,261 | 40% | 37 |
| Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals | 7,414 | 43% | 107 |
| James Paget University Hospitals | 3,557 | 43% | 437 |
| Barts Health | 6,246 | 46% | 226 |
| West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals | 3,176 | 47% | 160 |
| Croydon Health Services | 2,213 | 47% | 231 |
| East Kent Hospitals University | 9,247 | 47% | 248 |
| University Hospitals Sussex | 7,999 | 48% | 193 |
| United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals | 9,928 | 49% | 154 |
| Worcestershire Acute Hospitals | 8,158 | 50% | 195 |
The 18-week target is the point at which the NHS says treatment should have started. In the trusts above, most ENT patients had already waited longer.
Skip the queue with private treatment
Nobody wants to spend months on an ENT waiting list. Private cover can have you seen by a consultant in days, not months. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so arrange it before a problem starts — compare cover, see if it is worth it, or get a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does private ENT cost? Private hospitals publish self-pay prices, and cover pays for treatment arranged before symptoms begin.
Can I switch to private care once I am on the NHS list? You can pay privately at any time, but insurance will not cover a condition you are already waiting to have treated — that is why cover is worth arranging while you are well.
Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT) and Diagnostics (DM01) waiting-times statistics, June 2026; self-pay figures from UK private hospitals’ own published price lists. Waiting-list figures change monthly.